


All of Time and Space

by Jboyles423



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Break Up, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Older Man/Younger Woman, whouffaldi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-23
Updated: 2018-12-07
Packaged: 2019-06-30 05:59:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,843
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15745695
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jboyles423/pseuds/Jboyles423
Summary: Clara Oswald is a professor, dating a handsome colleague and living a seemingly perfect life, except she isn't. That is, until a new professor begins teaching at the university and Clara begins to feel herself falling for him.





	1. Chapter 1

Clara sighed as she bent over to pull off her heels. She flung one shoe, then the other into the closet. She wriggled her toes, glad to be rid of the tight confines of her shoes. As she undressed, she thought about how her date with Danny had gone. They had been dating for almost a year and things just seemed to not be taking off. She slid out of her dress and started a hot bath. She really thought that after dating someone for a year she would be hopelessly in love, but she just didn't feel it. There was no passion. There was no spark. 

She piled her hair in an unkempt bun on top of her head and slipped into the hot, steamy water. She let her thoughts drift away as she soaked. After teaching all day and then going to dinner with Danny, every muscle in her body ached, including her head. Noticing her toes were wrinkling, Clara stepped out of the tub and wrapped herself in a towel, heading back into her bedroom and pulling on her pajamas. She headed downstairs to make a cup of tea and then back upstairs again, laptop tucked under her arm. 

cuddled in bed, she opened up the laptop and perused the news and social media for a while, deciding to check her email before she went to sleep. There was an email from the university she taught at, she clicked to open it and read it's contents. It looks as if they were getting a new physics and astronomy professor. She would make it a point on Monday to stop by the sciences building and meet him. 

 

Monday morning, Clara stopped by her favorite coffee shop and headed to work. It was a gorgeous autumn morning and she was glad to be back for a new term. Her phone vibrated in her pocket and she took a look at it. Danny had sent her a 'have a good day' text. She didn't know why but it annoyed her. He was always breathing down her neck, always monitoring where she was and what she was doing. It was suffocating sometimes. He was always hovering and sometimes she just wanted to scream. She pocketed the phone and exhaled, expelling her frustrations into the cool, crisp air. She reached the courtyard and smiled at the usual hustle and bustle of students winding their way to their classes. When she had made it halfway across the sprawling expanse of brick and grass, Danny met her and put an arm around her shoulders. Clara smiled at him in greeting.

"So, when's your first class?"

He huffed, "not until 11:00. I have some planning to do though beforehand. When's yours?

Clara glanced at her watch, "In about 20 minutes. I'll see ya later then, yeah?"

She gave him a quick peck on the cheek and a wave and took the stairs into her building. She exhaled in relief as the door closed behind her and she made her way down the crowded hallway to the her classroom. She sat her things down and began to prepare for her first class of the day.

Danny had a class during the time she had chosen to take her lunch so she went alone to the courtyard. She sat on a bench that encircled an oak tree and took her sandwich out of her bag. She looked around her and noticed the leaves beginning to change color and the breeze beginning to cool off. She closed her eyes and took in a big breath, autumn was her absolute favorite season. upon opening her eyes she noticed a tall, lanky man with grey hair and Ray Bans wandering through the courtyard, mumbling to himself. He was wearing a red lined jacket over a grey tee shirt and plaid trousers and had a black messenger bag draped around his chest. She watched him curiously, he went back and forth, his finger tapping at his chin. She decided to help him, he was probably lost. 

" 'Ello there, can i help you find something?" Clara called and waved to him and he smiled as he began to walk towards her.

"Yes, I, um, I'm trying to find the sciences building. I seemed to have gotten turned around."

Clara thought he looked too old to be a student, but the campus was more diverse now than it had ever been. His silver hair and charming smile made her blush a bit, which she thought was rather odd. She had never met the man before in her life. 

"If you take this path here, and round that building, it's just there, on the right. You'll see the sign. Are you a first year? I've never seen you here before." Clara knew she was being nosy, but she had to know. Some kind of strange curiosity had taken hold of her. 

"Oh, I'm not a student. I'm the new astronomy professor, Dr. John Smith." He extended his hand in greeting. 

She smiled and took his hand in hers, "Clara Oswald, English Literature professor." 

His bushy eyebrows lifted towards his hairline as he smiled at her, "charmed." 

Clara felt herself blush again and cursed herself for being so readable. She didn't know what it was, but she was intrigued by him. "Thank you. Welcome to the university."

He glanced down at his watch and made a face, "Oh no, I've got to go. Hey, thanks for the directions, yeah? Maybe you can give me a proper tour soon?" He began to run down the path she had shown him backwards while talking to her.

"Sure" she said, "but you really should watch where you're go..." Clara wasn't able to finish her warning before John tripped over a cobblestone and crashed to the ground in a tangle of arms and legs and silver hair. She rushed over to him, giggling. Reaching him, she stuck out her hand and bracing herself, helped him up. She could see the pink in his cheeks and he stammered as he thanked her.

"I'm so sorry, I just get a little mixed up sometimes." He brushed off his coat and trousers and Clara reached down to pick up his sunglasses that had landed a few feet away. She smiled up at him as she placed them in his hand, noticing how slender and graceful his hands were, and that there was no wedding band.

"Are you alright though?" She looked him up and down. He shrugged and tilted his head to the side, "yeah, i'll be fine. Thanks, Clara. I'll be seeing you around, yeah?" She nodded, "of course you will, we'll be working together!" His face was serious and he glanced above her head, "right, thanks....I'm away."

Clara shook her head and watched him walk quickly down the cobblestone path and disappear around the corner. "What a daft old man" she whispered to herself, shaking her head. 


	2. Chapter 2

That night, Danny had offered to cook them both dinner at his flat. While washing up the dishes afterwards, Clara told Danny that she had met the new physics and astronomy professor.

"He was lost in the courtyard trying to find the sciences building. I pointed him in the right direction and offered to give him a proper tour of the campus."

She heard the jealousy in Danny's voice as he asked her what the man looked like and it annoyed her.

"He had silver, curly hair and he was dressed sort of like a magician and he wore a set of Ray Bans. He was sort of...odd." Clara smiled to herself remembering the way he looked when he walked up to her.

"Oh so he was older then?" She heard the tension leave Danny's voice. 

"Yes, he looked to be in his fifties maybe?" Clara looked at him, "and what does it matter? I'm allowed to speak to other men my own age."

Danny nodded, "yes, you are, I'm sorry i get a little jealous when it comes to you." He glanced sheepishly over at her. Clara shook her head in anger.

"Danny, This jealousy and anger and all of this negativity is really starting to get old. I feel like you view me as your possession and not your partner, not someone you care about."

"Clara, I'm like that because I'm just so afraid of losing you. I'm so afraid someone is going to come along and sweep you up. I'm sorry for being like that, but it's how I am and I would be lying to you if I said that I could be any different."

Clara's stomach dropped and she felt as if she were going to cry. She couldn't deal with this tonight. She couldn't deal with him tonight.

She shook her head and finished up the dishes. Drying her hands on a towel, she said, "Well, thanks for dinner but i need to get home and prepare some things for my lecture tomorrow." Danny put his arms around her waist and kissed her neck.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay the night here? I'm sorry for being negative and making jealous comments. Just stay and I'll make it up to you." Clara hated herself when it came to turning Danny down but she had no desire to stay the night with him. 

"No, not tonight I'm afraid. Maybe this weekend, yeah?" She pulled out of his arms and put on her coat. Giving him a quick kiss, and a mumbled goodbye she slipped out of the door. She didn't look back.

While walking home, her hands in her pockets, she thought more and more about her and Danny's relationship. They were on completely separate pages and she felt like she was just stringing him along. Maybe things would get better between them? What if they didn't? She didn't want to hurt him but if things didn't start improving soon, she would have to end it. She wouldn't settle for someone, not when it came to her heart. 

Finally home, Clara poured herself a glass of wine and retreated to her bathtub, intent on soaking away the melancholy mood she had fallen in. she ran her finger around the rim of her glass while her thoughts drifted to the tall, lanky man in Ray Bans. She could tell by his accent that he was Scottish and the way his smile lit up his face was completely adorable. Why was she fantasizing over this man she barely knew? Clara swirled the soapy water with her hand. Why shouldn't she? She wasn't married, she was in a precarious relationship as it was. She could flirt with someone else, couldn't she? She groaned in frustration and climbed out of the tub to get ready for bed.

The next afternoon, as she was leaving to go home for the day, she heard someone call her name and turned around. Expecting it to be Danny, she was pleasantly surprised that the voice belonged to the tall Scottish professor she had met yesterday.

"Hey you! I didn't think I'd see you today!" Clara laughed as he ran up to her, almost crashing into her.

"I've been busy with things, you know, moving into my new flat and unpacking and all that. Hey, would you like to go have a coffee? It looks as if it's going rain any second now, it wouldn't do to get caught in a downpour." He raised an eyebrow at her, a twinkle in his eye and soft half smile formed on her lips.

"Ya know, it does look like rain." She laughed mischievously and grabbed his hand. They made their way to the coffee shop that Clara usually stopped at in the morning before work. They placed their order and found a cozy table in the back. Just as they received their cappuccinos, it began to rain. They looked towards the windows at the water pelting the sidewalk outside and began to laugh. 

"That certainly is a gift you have there." Clara gestured towards the rain outside.

"Nah, more of a party trick than anything. Actually I had no idea it was going to rain." The Doctor shrugged.

Clara stirred her coffee and tilted her head, "So, where are you from?"

"I was born in Glasgow, and I've lived and taught all over. Most recently I moved back here from a post at Oxford." 

Clara's eyes widened in surprise. "You left Oxford to come teach here? Are you crazy?"

John shrugged, "I don't stay in one place very long. I like to travel around, meet different people, experience different universities." 

Clara wrapped her hands around her mug and took the opportunity to ask a question that would reveal what she really wanted to know about John Smith.

"I'm guessing your wife doesn't mind the frequent moving?" She peeked up at him.

John frowned and stirred his coffee a little. "I'm not married, not anymore."

Clara's gaze dropped and she instantly felt horrible for prying into his personal life uninvited. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..."

"Don't be. It's not your fault. It was a car accident in 1995. I was a mess for awhile, but now I've found comfort in my life constantly being an adventure. I always have something new happening. I miss her very much but in many ways, I've come to peace with her death." He smiled gently at her, making her feel better.

During the course of the next two hours, they chatted and learned so much about one another. Clara told John about her relationship with Danny and how she felt about him. She poured her heart and innermost feelings out to this man she barely knew, like they were lifelong friends. John was a good listener and only provided his opinion when she asked it of him. Clara felt like a giant weight had been lifted off of her shoulders as John offered his support and advice. The time had flown by and soon a barista from the shop walked over and informed them that they would closing in thirty minutes. 

The rain had long since stopped and Clara glanced outside as the street lamps were coming on. "Shit! I've got to get home."

John left some money on the table, ignoring Clara's protestations. "It was my idea, my treat." He raised a warning eyebrow at her and she ceased arguing.

They walked out on the sidewalk and Clara leaned from one foot to the other nervously. 

"Thanks for listening to me prattle on about my dramatic, silly, pathetic life." She laughed nervously. "I hope I didn't scare you off by it."

"It was my pleasure, Clara Oswald. And your life is not pathetic nor silly, it's life, everyone has their share of problems and trials and I, as your friend, have the duty of listening to you vent about said problems." 

Clara didn't know what got into her, but she jumped forward and engulfed John in a hug. He stiffened but awkwardly curved his arms around her.

"I'm not really a hugger, but for you I guess I could make an exception." Clara looked up to see him smiling down at her. She didn't know what it was but this man made her feel like she really did have someone who cared about her as person, as Clara. Not as a daughter, not as a girlfriend but as Clara. They pulled apart from each other and Clara felt her cheeks turn hot. She grabbed her left elbow with her right hand.

"Thanks for the coffee and the conversation. How about I repay the favor with that tour Saturday morning?" Clara bit her bottom lip waiting on him to answer.

"I shall count the seconds!" John flung his hand in the air in a dramatic gesture and they both laughed.

"Good night John!" Clara called as they both turned to walk home. 

"Good night Ms. Oswald! Pleasant dreams!" 

Clara smiled to herself. If her dreams consisted of him they would be very pleasant indeed.


	3. Chapter 3

It was Friday and Clara hadn't seen professor Smith since they had shared a table in the coffee shop. She found herself thinking about him more and more lately, intrigued by him. Danny was scheduled to attend a conference out of town next week with some fellow math professors and they were leaving today to make it there in time to get checked in and familiar with the settings. She was somewhat relieved because she didn't want to have to explain her private tour of the university tomorrow with John. She thought it best to just not tell him, she didn't want to listen to the inevitable rant that he would go on. 

She took her lunch in the courtyard and was slightly disappointed when John didn't show up while she was eating. Finishing her day of classes, she gathered her things and began to walk towards the math and sciences building. She needed to make sure they were still on for tomorrow. She pushed the door open and began to walk down the dimly lit hallway. She suddenly heard the familiar Scottish voice and turned into the doorway from whence it came. She smiled as she saw John enthusiastically congratulating a student for understanding something that he was helping him with. It warmed her heart to see how passionate he was about helping his students. 

The student thanked him and packed away his things. Clara glanced and smiled at the student as he walked past her through the doorway. John smiled as he saw her.

"Miss Oswald, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

Clara giggled at his flourishing language and walked towards him.

"I was just checking with you to make sure you still wanted that tour tomorrow?"

He grasped both of her shoulders with his long fingers and smiled, "There is nothing else I'd rather do than tour this university with you tomorrow, Clara." 

She blushed, "well, it's not extravagant but it really is a beautiful campus." 

He had walked over to his desk and had begun putting things into his satchel. "Well, I've already seen several beautiful things about it already, Miss Oswald." He grinned at her as he threw the strap over his head and gestured towards the door. Her stomach did a little flip at that comment. Was he calling her beautiful?

They stepped out into the cool, crisp afternoon and fell into a companionable silence. He slid on his Ray Bans and stuffed his hands into the pockets of his trousers. "Ya know, I've never really befriended a colleague. I was nice to them, but i never really made plans with any of them to do things after work." He looked down at her and she softly grinned, "I guess what i mean to say is, Thank you for the offer, it's nice to have a friend." Clara nodded, "It's no problem at all...doctor." They both laughed at his nickname. He sighed, "My wife used to call me that. It was sort of a pet name." Clara internally cursed herself and her big mouth, "I'm sorry, John. I didn't meant to..."

"No, don't be sorry. It's a good memory and it was surprisingly pleasant to hear that again. I miss my wife, Clara, but it's with a fond warmth now, not pain." He reached down and gave her hand a squeeze. 

"Now, run along and get some rest. We have adventuring to do tomorrow!" He made a shooing motion with his hands and she laughed, her nose wrinkling up. "ok, ok, I'm away!" 

Later that night Clara sat alone in her flat perched on the sofa with a cup of tea. She ran her finger around the rim absently and thought about her relationship with Danny. She could feel herself drifting further and further away from him. The flirting and sex weren't enough anymore to keep the relationship alive. There was just no deep feelings there for her. He was just...there. Her phone rang and his name flashed on the screen. She picked the phone up and quietly turned the ringer off, setting it face down on the coffee table. She just didn't have the heart to listen to him tonight. She was, on the other hand, more excited than she really should be at seeing John tomorrow. 

She climbed into bed and smiled at the thought of him squeezing her hand. There was a familiarity about him, like she had known him for much longer than she actually had. He made her feel at ease, comfortable. She had liked the way he had looked at her when he had said he had seen beautiful things on the campus already. The small smirk on his lips as he watched her blush. She felt a small heat begin in her stomach at that thought. She quelled it and turned over, not forgetting to set her alarm, after all, it was the first time she had done so on a Friday night in a long, long time. 


	4. Chapter 4

Clara tied the laces on her boots and popped up to take one last look in the mirror before heading out to meet John. she brushed her hands down the front of her black skirt and turned around to look from all angles. She had decided on black tights, black skirt and an emerald green button up blouse. Her black lace up combat boots adding just the right amount of punk to her preppy clothing choice. She liked her style and Danny, of course, hated it. He said she mixed styles together and it looked silly. She shrugged happily in the mirror before grabbing her small cross body bag and heading out the door. 

She saw the shine of John's silver hair at the tree in the courtyard and smiled. She strolled up to him, her hands in the pocket of her coat and her breath puffing out in front of her. "Good morning." she said cheerfully. 

"Good Morning, Miss Oswald." He handed her a cup of coffee and muffin wrapped in brown paper. She sat down next to him and wrapped her gloved hands around the warm cup. "Thank you doctor. I was so intent on getting here I didn't even think to stop for coffee." 

He raised a bushy eyebrow, "intent on getting here? you mean intent on seeing me!" Clara nudged him with her elbow and nodded, "you've exposed the truth, I am infatuated with you." She laughed at his startled expression. "I was being sarcastic, doctor." She patted his hand and stood up, balling up her pastry paper and throwing them into the nearby waste bin. He followed behind her and they proceeded on to the tour of the campus. Halfway through, They came to a breeze way and sat down for a bit on a wooden bench. A few moments passed and Clara, comfortable with her new friend, began to explain the situation that had been bothering her. She picked at a piece of fuzz on her tights as she spoke, not looking at him, but knowing that he was listening.

"Danny...Professor Pink...and I have been sort of dating for about a  year now. At first, it was a lot of fun. We went out and the sex was amazing and it was all fun and spontaneous. But then, all of that wore off. He started showing sides of him that I didn't much care for like jealousy and possessiveness. It kind of drove me away, ya know? But then he has this amazingly sweet side and I wonder if maybe he will change? I've been on the brink of breaking it off and then he goes and does something sweet and I feel, well, I feel like maybe this is the best I'll ever get. I mean, I'm no spring chicken anymore and, well, at the same time, I want to be hopelessly, madly in love with someone. And I don't feel that with him." 

She sighed as the last sentence left her lips. "I guess I just don't know what to do."

He rubbed his hands together and then reached over to pick up one of hers. "I was engaged once to a woman before I met my wife. She was a good person. She was everything any man could want in a wife. She was beautiful, smart, hard working and loyal but there was only one problem." He looked down at her as she looked up at him and he smiled a little crooked smile and continued with his story. "I didn't love her. I tried and tried to love her, I really did. We went on trips, we moved in together, I even asked her to marry me. But to no avail, I couldn't make myself love her. Then one day, I met the woman I would eventually marry and after a while i realized, with her, what love really felt like. I broke it off with my fiance and, to my surprise, i learned the feeling was mutual. She told me that she had thought she loved me, but now she understood that it was just...well, settling."

They stood up, a shaft of sunlight hitting them through the copse of trees in the small courtyard by the breeze way. He looked down at her and put a small piece of hair behind her ear. "Don't ever settle, Clara. It's not fair to you, and it's not fair to the other person." He shrugged and smiled, breaking the spell that had settled over them.

"Now, let's finish this tour so we can go get some lunch!" He began to sprint down the rest of the breeze way, opening the door and disappearing within the next building. Clara laughed and called after him, "Doctor! wait!"

With the tour concluded, Clara and John looked for a place to grab a quick bite for lunch. After they had ordered, Clara's phone rang. Glancing at the screen she saw that it was Danny. "Do you mind if I take this?" she gestured towards the phone and John smiled, "no worries, take your time."

Clara hit the green accept button. "Hey! how's the conference going?"

Danny's angry voice filled the phone. "Why didn't you answer the phone last night? Were you out with someone? I was worried, Clara. From now on, when I call, you really need to answer." Clara's anger exploded. "Do you want to know why I didn't answer? Because I just honestly didn't feel like talking to you because you're so...so...negative. If you're not mad at me about something, you're jealous. This all has to stop. I can't keep walking on eggshells around you, Danny." She could hear him breathing on the other end. She thought that maybe this time she had gotten through to him. 

"Were you out with someone though? Who was it?" Clara's face dropped. He wasn't listening to her at all. "I've got to go Danny. I'm having lunch with a friend. We need to talk when you get back." She ended the call before he had a chance to reply. He sent her a text not long after. 

_"Who are you having lunch with? The new professor? "_

She showed the text to John and he frowned. "Clara, I don't want to be the cause of further problems between you and Danny. Are you sure you want to continue this lunch?" Clara squared her shoulders and set her chin. 

"I have never been more sure of anything. I told Danny that we needed to talk when he came back." She pushed her pasta around her plate with her fork. "I'm going to break it off with him. I can't do this anymore. He gives me so much anxiety. It's not good to have that kind of stress in my life and honestly I'm just tired of it."

John nodded and agreed with her then looked up with a smile on his face. "Hey, I almost forgot! I have a small gig to play tonight. Would you like to come watch?" 

Fueled by anger at Danny and a curious attraction to the older man sitting across from her, Clara accepted his invitation. She took a minute to study John's features. His thick, silver hair, his big smile, the way his eyes crinkled at the corners and his Scottish accent. The way he liked to talk with his hands. She noticed all of these things and realized that she couldn't really remember being so in tune with a person. She couldn't remember if Danny talked with his hands or not. She couldn't remember if his eyes crinkled when he smiled. That was her eye opener. She didn't really know Danny at all. At that moment, her decision to break it off was firm and absolute. She knew for certain now that it was the right thing to do for them both. A great weight lifted off of her shoulders and for the first time in weeks, she felt relieved. 


End file.
